Geomorphology in the field

Benjamin Spitaler led a field excursion to Sonnjoch that focused on how Alpine landscapes are shaped and how these processes are affected by climate change. This field trip was part of the three-day training course “Alpine Pasture Management and Climate Change,” which took place in the Achensee region. During the excursion, a total of eight participants—mostly self-employed mountain hiking and nature guides from Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Upper Austria, and Bavaria—engaged intensively with the glacially sculpted Alpine landscape and the relevant geomorphological processes. They also explored the impacts of climate change on these geomorphological processes and Alpine ecosystems. It became clear that Benjamin—who completed his MSc in the Karwendel Mountains and is pursuing a PhD focused on Alpine glacial geology—is not only an enthusiastic scientist but also a great science communicator.